Kasukuwere, Mafios woes mount

The ZANU PF Mashonaland Central provincial executive met yesterday and endorsed demands by the ruling party’s members to petition President Robert Mugabe for possible expulsion of national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.

“The provincial executive met and considered the petition from the party’s structures. We felt because it is addressed to the national leadership, there was nothing much we could add than to endorse it as is,” Kazembe said.

Asked if Mafios had been invited to the meeting, Kazembe said: “He did not attend, but we are certain he was aware. We have a chat-group on which we announce our meetings and he was aware, but decided not to attend. Those that met constituted a constitutional quorum as required by our party rules.”

Mafios claimed he had not been informed.

“I am not aware of that meeting and I am in the rural areas at the moment. I will try to find out and call you back when I have details. I was not advised of that meeting,” Mafios said.

Asked if he considered the meeting illegal, Mafios said: “I wouldn’t know. Meetings are just held these days and I wouldn’t know of the legitimacy. We had a proposal to have a meeting, but we cancelled it because of the demonstrations which were happening and said we would hold the meeting after the central committee meeting. I don’t want to comment over something I am not aware of. Let me investigate and interrogate because the meeting might be that on indigenisation or any other issue, so I have to check with the officials.”

At the close of the demonstrations that rocked Bindura on Monday, Kazembe was presented with a petition for onward transmission to Mugabe, demanding Mafios and Kasukuwere’s expulsion from the ruling party.

The two brothers, derisively being referred to as the “Matope brothers”, were accused of fanning “factionalism, regionalism and running parallel structures with a view to topple Mugabe”, among a litany of charges

Mazowe West lawmaker Kazembe said the provincial co-ordinating committee (PCC) would meet again today to deliberate on the issues.
“The PCC will meet tomorrow (today) to discuss the same issues before the politburo meets,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zanu PF office at the Bindura showgrounds was reportedly vandalised, according to Kazembe.

“Someone removed all the computers from the office. Some have since been recovered by the police at the party personal assistant’s house. Police and our secretary for security are dealing with the issue because there are still some computers that are missing,” the Zanu PF provincial deputy chairperson told NewsDay.

Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe was not available for comment as his mobile phone went unanswered.